August 8th through 13th... and maybe some 14th
Catching up... again. Get out your favorite snacks and settle in for a l-o-n-g post here:
Sunday, August 8, 2010: Got up a little after 7:00 this morning. I have to wash the dishes and do my laundry today, but other than that I don't have anything on the books... Hopefully, I'll get some more writing done. I'm doing a party scene in my Trek story and I can't seem to get it off the ground. *Sigh* Stupid Captian Kirk; why did he have to invite so many frigging people to dinner?
Legal Stuff: I got a message left on my phone from Podina Brown of the State Bar asking if the attorney who screwed me on the "house" case had contacted me yet or returned any of my paperwork to me. I called her back around 3:30 today to let her know that Gus still hasn't contacted me, so I have no idea what he's doing or why he's doing it, and he still hasn't returned any of my paperwork. I thanked her for pursuing the matter for me. We'll see if the State Bar enforcement branch actually DOES anything now.
DVD Stuff: Saw a couple of crappy movies over the weekend. Don't rent "Don't Look Up", it's the sucky thing that ever sucked. "Cats & Dogs" was funny but incredibly stupid... the little Beagle "Lou" was cute, though. But "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" was pretty good -- weird, but good. It's one of those Terry Gilliam movies you watched and then go, "Huh?" You have to think about it. It was one of Heath Ledger's last films, and he's in the first part of it, but he died before the rest of it was finished so other actors stepped in to fill in his part -- but it "worked" because everything was in the dream-like world of the imagination, so sometimes Heath was Johnny Depp, and sometimes he was Jude Law, and sometimes he was Colin What'shisface... As Marty and I were watching it, we didn't get it at first, that other actors were taking over the story, and we said, "Wow, Heath is doing a great Johnny Depp impersonation!" Hah!
Monday, August 9, 2010: School Day... and a really good day for me all around. I had a test in my Word 2007 class and aced it (100%); and the teacher is counting it twice -- onces as a hands-on test and once as a question-answer test, so, yay! Then after that I went to my Family Law class. We got so involved in the divorce paperwork we were working on that we didn't realize that the class was over until another teacher and other students started walking in! D'oh! I got 100% on that, too. A "go me" day!
After classes I stopped over at Safeway to get some groceries. Now, I'm usually pretty good about getting a lot of groceries for the best price possible, but today I outdid myself. I had saved so much with the store club card and coupons, that a manager had to come over and OK it: $69.00 off in savings! I DID GOOD! So, I figure we got the steaks I cooked for dinner for free... and then some. The steaks were great, grilled outside, and I had them with a big tossed green salad and portabello mushroom caps filled with Mexican spices, corn and cheese. Yum-my!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010: This is one of the days when I only have one class at school, so I spent part of the morning doing job search, answering e-mail, and working on my Trek story.
My class today was Criminal Law, and I just enjoy it sooo much. Today we got a lecture on the different types of homicide: criminal, non-criminal, murder, manslaughter, justifiable homicide, etc. The class gets so excited and involved that sometimes Mr. Cashdollar has to quiet us all down. During the lecture, he provides us with different scenarios, and then askes us if what he described was a homicide, and whether it was criminal or non-criminal. In one scenario he used the name "Daphne" for his victim, and admitted that "Daphne" is the name he gave the GPS system in his car (which he's programmed to speak with a Brittish accent). Hah! On one occasion, he was going down one of the coastal highways and Daphnew said, "Turn right at the next intersection"... but to the right was nothing but the Pacific Ocean! So, he doesn't listen exclusively to her anymore. Hah!
In the Mail: In the mail today I got my PaintShop Photo program, like the old PantShop Pro by Jasc, this one is by Corel... but it uses all of the same commands as the old version (which I loved for photo-processing). I had downloaded a trial version of the program, and was going to buy it direct from Corel, but just on a hunch, I checked with Amazon.com and even though Corel was claiming to be offering the program for the reduced price of $49 (down from $79), Amazon had the same software on sale for $22! So, guess I ordered it from?
I also got the novel "Vulcan's Glory" by D.C. Fontana because I wanted to read what a published Trek writer "sounded" like... and Fontana had penned some of my favorite Trek episodes (in the original series) including "Journey to Babel" and "This Side of Paradise"; episodes which explored Spock's past and family ties. In "Babel" we first met this mother, Amanda, and in "Paradise" we met one of his loves: Leila Kalomi (played by the actress, Jill Ireland). Non-Trekkers have no idea what I'm talking about.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010: Another gorgeous day, weatherwise. It was so cool outside that we were actually able to keep the whole house open all day and let the fresh air and breezes blow through. To be able to do that in AUGUST in this part of the state is practically unheard of. We're NOT complaining, though! Love it, love it, love it!
In the Mail: Today I got the eagle-on-the-Liberty-Bell figurine, and the parchment copies of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. They look really nice. Now, I want to get some fabric (like velvet, or something white with sprinklies in it), and some "risers" of some kind to use in the Paralegal Club cabinet before setting it all up.
School Stuff: When I got to school this morning, I couldn't log into the computers there; there was a pop-up note that said Financial Aid wanted to talk to me. *Sigh* I thought that was already taken care of! So, I trudged over to the FA office, and they just wanted to go over my paperwork for the next few quarters, and get my grants and loans all lined up properly. Also, apparently the Federal Government has taken control of all student loans and grants, so I had to resign all my paperwork for the Feds. As we were going through the the stuff, I noticed that my Cal C Grant wasn't showing up on the documentation, so the lady checked that and, yeah, sure enough, she'd missed it. It was over $4000, so that was a big "mistake". (Were they just "holding" that money and not applying it to anything? How much more government dough are they sitting on that doesn't belong to them?!) I made sure to check everything else on the paperwork after that to make sure all the numbers were correct, and that all my grants were presented properly. When I had signed everything with FA, I went on to my first class of the day and tried to sign on there... only to find that I still couldn't sign into the computers. So I went back to FA and said "WTF?", and the gal said, "Just show your pass to IT, and they'll get you back into the system." I told her, "I don't have a pass." D'oh! She forgot to fill one out and sign it for me. So, she did that, I had to run upstairs to the IT office, get them to reinstate my student log-in information, and run back downstairs before my class started. Sheesh! I'm an "old woman"; I can't be running around like that!
In my Word 2007 class, I was actually able to help the teacher when he got stuck on how to process "continuous page breaks" (which are kind of like "section breaks" in the program). That was kind of fun. Mr. Alexander is actually a great teacher; and when he gets stumped or loses his place in a lecture, he doesn't get all huffy and weird about it. He just admits his error, corrects it, and goes on...
Between classes we had our Paralegal Club meeting, and found out that the club pulled in over $400 for the car wash(!). We set up some community service projects (I'll be working on the Adopt-a-Family thing around Christmastime), and also talked about club goals. I can tell you, this is the most that club has done since its inception three or four quarters ago! Christine, the new President, is really keeping it moving, and keeping members on-task and motivated. I also volunteered to help mentor "junior" paralegal students on Fridays when they need me.
Anyway, after the club meeting, I had my Family Law class, and I'm still enjoying that one. We went over child support and paternity today; very interesting stuff... although I still think I'd rather be a paralegal in the office of "civil rights" attorney. Too much drama and emotional baggage in family law!
OH, during the break in my last class, I also participated in a survey -- and got a "slip" toward a gold star as part of the 100% Club thing I belong to. Once you collect 10 of the slip-things you get to add a gold star to your lanyard. We in the paralegal studies program kind of get the shaft in the 100% Club, because those teachers apparently aren't a part of that, and don't contribute to your stars -- no matter how well you're doing.
Thursday, August 12, 2010: Found a lovely pink lily in the backyard this morning, with another one on the way. What a pretty way to start the day! I received a follow-up call from Patrick at the Waltz Law Firm, and he again said he'd like to speak to me. I called him back a little after 2:30 pm but he was still out for lunch, so I told him to call me back on Friday and I'll make sure I keep my cellphone with me, so I can catch his call. We'll see if he calls back; some attorneys don't work on Fridays... (This is the attorney who's said he might be able to assist me in a suit against Gus.)
At school today. I got there early, so i went in search of Cheryl , the gal who oversees the mentors at the college, to see if I could talk with her. She was in the process of changing offices, and was in the middle of greeting mid-term students, but she managed to squeeze me in anyway. We had a nice talk, and she was very welcoming. She also told me that Mr. Alexander "never" gives recommendations for mentors, so I should be proud that he showed so much faith in me. Awwww! Aaaannnd, she said, I was the FIRST paralegal mentor on campus! So, yay! Go me! I got a new purple "student mentor" shirt and a purple name badge to make it official.
Marty has been doing TONS of work at the Nona Street house, so I told him I'd like to go over there sometime this weekend and take some more "progress" photos. We may do that tomorrow.
TV Stuff: Oh my God, there are STUPID people on television! Hah-ha-ha! Marty and I were watching "America's Next Top Model" last night and were apalled to hear one of the contestants say she thought New Zealand was "up near Canada". GE-OG-RA-PHY, people!
Friday, August 13, 2010: Yep, it's Friday the 13th! WFD. I did a lot of nothing today. Worked on my Trek story, did my job search stuff, read my e-mail. Then around 11:00 I went out with Marty to deposit my EDD check, snap some photos of the Nona Street house, and take Marty out to lunch. We tried the Denny's off of Howe Street because Marty had been craving one of their big slam breakfasts: eggs, bacon, potatoes, sausages, toast, etc. I had wanted a strawberry waffle but there wasn't one on the menu (?!), so I had a Philly Cheesesteak instead. It wasn't very good, but Marty liked his meal, so I was happy. We then went over to Big Lots and Thriftown to do a little shopping. By the time we got home, my back was killing me -- I'm such a weakling these days, and cranky, too. The kids screaming in the restaurant and the store just set all my nerves on end. Can't stand it! -- so we watched "Judge Alex" and were potatoes for the rest of the afternoon... I carried my phones around all day but got no call back from Waltz. Cripes.
New vertical blinds on the front window
New fence going up in the backyard... and all the crap in the yard is gone now
Marty washed all the tobacco stains off the
walls and ceilings.
The old stove has been removed and the cabinets are getting cleaned up.
Saturday, August 14, 2010: I got up around 7:15 this morning, and spent some time balancing my checkbook, then worked on my on-line Algebra class (doing a test for Module 2, and an post for Module 3). I got 80% on my test -- which seems about par for me these days. As long as I don't "fail" the class, I'm fine with it. That class isn't really "important" in my mind anyway. It's hard for me to get "motivated" about a course I think is pretty much "worthless" in my program of study (paralegal). After that, I e-mailed all of my teachers about the upcoming court dates in Shasta County, and worked on my Trek story a little bit before tackling more homework.